Blog Entry Compilation of Reading Reflections
EDCI 6605 Critical Studies in Multicultural Education, Spring 2010
Trina Kinhalt
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich (Paperback - Jun 24, 2008)
Week 1
8. Ehrenreich experienced remarkable goodwill, generosity and solidarity among her
colleagues. Does this surprise you? How do you think your own colleagues measure up?
The generosity of Ehrenreich’s colleagues did not surprise me. I feel that when you are in similar
situations you tend to band together to make the best of what you have. This is what Ehrenreich
colleagues were doing. When you band together you create a sense of trust. Ehrenreich and her
colleagues work together all day, every day and you tend to build relationships with those people you
are around the majority of the time.
I worked in a fast food chain for 8 years from the age of 16. The job got me through college
and having my first child. If I didn’t have the colleagues I did supporting me I wouldn’t have made it
through. I seen everything working there and reading Nickel and Dimed brought me back to those times
of struggle. There were times that I would go to college all day, come home and leave my car running in
the driveway just to go change into my work uniform. I would then work until 1:00 a.m., drive home
and repeat the next day. All while having a newborn child to take care of. I had my mother and
grandmother to help me watch my son, but so many women do not. It took a lot of support from my
family, friends and work colleagues to see me through. I guess you really don’t understand how
someone is living until you have walked in their shoes.
My colleagues now are the best group of wonderful people I could ever ask for. I do not have
the same working conditions that Barbara had, but we all know teaching is very stressful. If I didn’t have
my colleagues to laugh with, I would go insane. I have made some great friends working as a teacher
and don’t know what I would do without them.
*****Leadership group for week 2*******
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (Paperback - Sep 28, 1998)
Week 3
1. How did you feel when Child Protective Services took Lia away from her parents? Do you
believe it was the right decision? Was any other solution possible in the situation?
I have mixed feelings about Lia being taken away from her parents. The doctor, Neil Ernest, felt
that reporting Lia’s situation was something he needed to do for her health and well being. He was
bound legally by the situation and had to report Lia’s case to Child Protection Services. This is
because in fourty-four states it is prosecutable to not report child abuse if you are in an occupation
of public service (p. 79). I feel that Dr. Ernest did what he felt was right in order for Lia to get her
prescribed medicine. As a teacher we know that our student’s well being is of upmost importance
and that we are obligated to report any abuse to CPS, even if the suspected abuse is proven false.
That brings up the question, what would you do in that situation?
I also feel that Lia’s parents were in situation that they didn’t understand. The culture gap is so
big here that unfortunately it couldn’t get closed and led to Lia being put in foster care. The
language barrier led to miscommunication and misdiagnosis as well. I truly feel that Lia’s parents,
Foua and Nao Kao, wanted to help Lia. The Lee’s way of helping was through their Hmong healing
practices. They were just doing what they understood and had been taught themselves.
I feel the main solution would be for the doctors to try to close the culture and language gap by
trying to understand the Lee’s and their Hmong culture. They could do so by researching the Hmong
culture and medical practices. Having an interpreter on hand all the time, not just some of the time,
would help with communication and trust among the Hmong people and medical staff.
Both sides were trying to do what was best for Lia’s well being.
9.
Were you surprised at the quality of care and the love and affection given to Lia by her
foster parents? How did Lia's foster parents feel about Lia's biological parents? Was foster care
ultimately to Lia's benefit or detriment?
I was not surprised by the quality of care and love given to Lia by her foster parents. I have
friends that are foster parents and they would do anything for their foster children. From what I have
ever seen, most foster parents take in the child and treat it like their own. I feel that there are few
foster parents who don't have the child's interest at heart. I know that I could not be a foster parent
because I am really soft hearted and would have a hard time letting the child go.
Lia'f s foster parents really got to know the Lee's over the period of time they had Lia. The foster
mother even stated that Lia was the only foster child she had ever recommended for reunification(p.
89). The Korda's, after getting to know the Lee's, started to realize how important it was for Lia to be
with her mother and father and that CPS made a mistake. Dee Korda even left her own child with Foua
while she took Lia to the doctor. This shows how much she trusted the Lee's care for children.
I feel that the foster care helped benefit Lia. It benefited Lia because it helped to show how
caring her parents were and how much they loved Lia. This in return helped the Lee's get reunification
with Lia.
Week 4
21. What did you learn from this book? Would you assign blame for Lia ’s tragedy? If so, to
whom? What do you think Anne Fadiman feels about this question?
Through reading, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, I have learned that our culture gap
here in America is greater than I had previously thought. I also have learned the importance of
respecting other cultures. My view of Lia’s situation changed throughout the entire book. I would go
from liking the Lee’s to disliking them back to liking them again and I felt the exact same feelings with
the doctors. My heart would ache for Foua and Nao Kao as they fought for their daughter. I just kept
thinking about my own son and what I would do in a similar situation. On the flipside I knew the doctors
were just trying to help the family and Lia, but the Lee’s did not see it this way. The Lee’s lack of faith in
the hospital is clear when Nao Kao asked, “Is this a hospital that fixes people or makes them die?” (p.
177).
I do not feel that anyone is to blame for Lia’s tragedy. The doctors did what they could to try
and help Lia’s condition. If they failed anywhere it was the medical staff not learning about the Lee’s
and their Hmong culture/beliefs. I also feel that if an interpreter was there more often during their
hospital visits, the Lee’s might have felt more comfortable about the doctor’s treatment. I would not
assign blame to the Lee’s either. The Lee’s were just doing what they felt was in the best interest of
their child. I feel any parent would do the same.
I think that Anne Fadiman would say that as the melting pot, we should be more aware of
cultural/religious diversity.
17. What does Dan Murphy mean by, “When you fail one Hmong patient, you fail the whole
community” (p. 253)?
The Hmong community is very intertwined. They support each other and rely on each other. In
the Merced community there were the Lee and Yang clans. They relied on each other a lot and if one
member felt as if someone was not trustworthy then the entire Hmong community would too. The
Hmong’s are very set in their ways of healing and up front have denied the American health care
system. To the Hmong community Lia’s situation with the hospital had confirmed the Hmong’s
prejudices of the medical profession (p. 253). Word travels fast and especially among a tight nit group
of people like the Lee’s and Yang’s. They had seen what happened to Lia and did not want for this to
happen to their children. To them what had happened to Lia would happen to their families as well,
even though we know this isn’t true; this is how they felt.
Isn’t this true in our community as well? If you feel that someone is untrustworthy you are
going to let your family and friends know. You are not going to let your family go to a doctor that you
wouldn’t go to yourself. We depend on our community for support. You definitely know what I am
talking about if you come from a small town. This can have a bad side as well, like it seems everyone
knows everyone’s business. In most cases people are just looking out for one another.
White Teacher: Second Edition by Vivian Gussin Paley (Paperback - Mar 1, 2000)
Week 5
6. Would this book be as relevant if it were published in modern times? Who would benefit
from reading this book? Explain.
I would say that this book is relevant now and will be years from now. Although I would like to
say that prejudices don’t exist, I know better. I really don’t see how anyone can say that this issue is not
relevant. For teachers it could present in our school or maybe even in our own classrooms. I know I
wondered at first how this book was going to relate to my teaching. In my building our entire student
body is Caucasian. Our biggest minority are the children living in poverty. I see everyday how these
students are affected by social status. After reading the first few pages, I knew I would love the book. I
can truly say that I found myself drawn into the book and relating to Mrs. Paley.
So now I can say, I feel that anyone who reads this book would benefit from it. Anyone who
works with children could learn a lot from the book, White Teacher. I know I did. It really has made me
think about how I treat my students in my classroom. It has made me think about how I talk to my
students and think about my interactions with each individual student. I would recommend this to any
teacher and I already have recommended it to several of my colleagues.
7. What are the most worthwhile “takeaways” from this book for you? Explain.
For me the most worthwhile “takeaways” from, White Teacher, would be how I treat my
students. I know that I do not treat them with prejudices, but I sometimes wonder if I am engaging
them as individuals. In art it is preached to be yourself and be creative. I feel that sometimes I am
restrained by the fact that the project must be done in a certain time and a certain indicator taught. I
know I am not the only one who feels this pressure. After reading the book I found myself thinking
about letting the students be themselves and letting them explore their individual creativity. I thought I
was doing this until reading the book, then I started to evaluate my teaching methods. At the end of
every day I try to reflect on the lesson of the day and figure out what to change and what to keep the
same. But, it was the lesson I was evaluating, not my students. Instead of thinking why didn’t the lesson
work, I should have been thinking why this child didn’t get what I am asking. I have learned a lot from
the book and Mrs. Paley. I wish I had her patience; I sure could use it on the days I am painting with
kindergarten! There were lots of things I will be taking with me after reading, White Teacher, but
recognizing the student’s individuality, for me, is the most important.
The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America by Jonathan Kozol
(Paperback - Aug 1, 2006)
Week 6
2. Pineapple, a third grade student, asks Kozol what it is like.. Over there…where other people
are (pp15-6). What do you think she meant? What does it make you think?
Pineapple seems to be a very outspoken young lady, who is observant about the things
surrounding her. When she talks about “over there” she is talking about the world outside of hers that
she is doesn’t know about. “Over there” is the world where the “white people” live. Kozol always
thought that Pineapple’s silence was because she didn’t know what schools were like outside of her
neighborhood (p. 15). So, Kozol was pleasantly surprised when Pineapple wanted to talk about life
outside of her neighborhood. This just goes to show how observant children are and how much they
notice things that adults seldom do. Kozol states, “In racial terms, they’re almost totally cut off.”, talking
about the children who live in neighborhoods like Pineapples (p. 17). The world Pineapple is talking
about is probably something she has seen on television or in magazines. The unknown to her is
mysterious and intriguing. Like most children she is just curious. Pineapple just wants to know what life
is like outside of the Bronx. I also think that Pineapple wants to learn about something that seems so
different.
When Pineapple inquires about the “other people” and “over there” it makes me think about
how sensitive children are to their surroundings. When I think about Kozol talking about how he
interpreted Pineapple’s silence, I think about how we assume silence is ok. In this case silence is not
okay. Pineapple may be silent, but I bet her gears are working overtime trying to figure out what it
would be like to live “over there” and be the “other people”. It angers me a lot to think that a child feels
unimportant. I also think that I have been wearing blinders to the reality that segregation is happening
to schools across the United States. I guess I too, like so many others, just thought it was about where
you live. This was a huge eye opener and a reality check for me.
4. We tend to be comfortable acknowledging that our schools are segregated on the basis of
social class, however we are less likely to acknowledge that our schools are still segregated by race.
Why do you believe this is?
First of all, like I said in my previous blog, I fit in this group of people that assumed that my
school was overwhelmingly Caucasian because of our rural location. I am not for sure why I thought
this, I guess because I have always grown up this way. That is no excuse, I know. With that said, I think
we are more comfortable acknowledging segregation through social class because we can justify our
reasoning. For instance, poverty, we can say it is a cycle and that the kids don’t notice social status.
That is wrong! Children do notice, they notice more than we do, adults just turn their head or justify
their actions.
I feel we do not acknowledge that our schools are segregated by race because we don’t want to
think that race is a problem. We don’t want to think that in today’s society we are still discriminating
against minorities. A lot of people will say, didn’t this end 50 years ago? The answer is yes, for awhile
and then the word minority just started to be a socially accepted term in today’s society. The book has
been an eye opener to me about the realities of segregation and how prevalent it is in schools right now.
To think, it is the children who are suffering from our unawareness. They could be learning from each
other and learning about other cultures, but instead they are bound by our segregated school systems.
To be honest, I don’t know how I didn’t see this! It just makes me wonder how many other
people feel the same way I did. Do any of you feel like you were blind like me?
Week 7
3. Based on the substandard conditions in the schools described in Chapter 7, to what
motives does Kozol attribute the state of public schooling for the nation’s poor? Do you agree or
disagree with him? Explain.
I believe that Kozol is attributing the state of public schools for the poor, to racism and the
inequality of spending. Kozol views of resegregation are true; the schools in the United States are
seemingly segregated by race. Do I feel that resegregation was done on purpose? My answer is no. As
a matter of fact, until reading this book, I had no idea that resegregation was an issue in our schools. I
was thinking more along the lines of funding as being the big issue. I do not feel that we have
purposely segregated our schools; it is something that has happened over the last 20 years and has not
taken center stage as an issue. The second issue that affects the nation’s poorest schools is the
inequality of spending. I agree with Kozol that this issue has got to be fixed. The areas that have nicer
neighborhoods have the nicer schools; based on the taxes revenued to the schools in the district in
which these students reside. So, if you live in a “ghetto” where taxes are lower, you get less for your
school. This leads to less spent on each child in the poorer school districts. This leads to less money to
spend on materials and teachers. I truly do feel that this money should be equally distributed among all
schools in the state, so that every child gets the same opportunities. I have seen this first hand. I have a
cousin that goes to Hilliard County schools. He has his own laptop that he gets to take to every class
with him. Along with several electives that he can take each semester. This is great but I wish every
district could afford this for their students. Since the taxes paid there are more, that school district will
reap the benefit. While schools such as, Adams County/Ohio Valley Schools (where I teach), we are
lucky if we have a computer in our room for the entire class. Our tax payers cannot afford to pay the
taxes that the people living in the nicer suburbs can. Most of our community can barely get by the way it
is. Should our children suffer because of this, I think not.
The disadvantage of having less does make teachers more creative in engaging the students and
getting the lesson across to the students. So, overall I do agree with Kozol. Although, I do think that
other factors do come into play besides race.
7. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that racial segregation in education is unconstitutional.
Given this, should the federal government have to address these issues that Kozol uncovers in his
research? Why or why not?
Since the decision was made on May 17, 1954 by the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that, “separate
educational facilities are inherently unequal”, most people assumed that segregation was over. Kozol
has shown us that this is not the case. Kozol has opened our eyes to the fact that racial segregation is as
prevalent as it was 50 years ago. It sure has opened my eyes to this issue and has made me think about
what I could do to fix it, even if it is in my own classroom.
I feel that the federal government should be looking into the fact that racial segregation and
funding inequalities are huge issues facing America’s school systems. If they want for our schools to
compete with other schools from around the world then they need to fix this broken system. Not by
putting a band-aid on it and saying that it is fixed, but by actually doing something about it. It makes me
wonder if they even know the problem exists. I mean do they know of environments that some of our
students are “learning” in? Do they realize that these students see how other students; in other districts
have better learning tools than they do? They do realize it and the sad part is they don’t understand
why. My thought is that we should send Kozol’s book to them and give them an eye opening
experience. It just breaks my heart to hear that the children blame themselves for the problems in the
schools (p. 184). Why should the children feel like they are the ones to blame? When, it is the adults
and leaders of our society who have “dropped the ball”. The federal government should feel
responsible for not enforcing what was put in place years ago!
Week 8
5. What do you think is Kozol’s motivation for writing this book? Was the point of the book to share
an opinion, explain a topic, tell about a personal journey, or something else? Did the author do it
well?
I feel that Kozol’s motivation for writing this book was the inequality of education in America. I
also feel that after reading this book, I can tell that Kozol really likes to be around children and that he
feels they are the backbone of this country. You can see that the relationships he has made with the
students while on his journey have greatly affected his writing and point of view. I feel that the point of
the book, The Shame of The Nation, was to inform us of an issue that going on in our country. The point
was for us to open our eyes to the reality that is education today. Kozol accomplished this by taking us
along on his five year personal journey through each of the approximately 60 schools, in 30 school
districts, in 11 states. He forced us to recognize the fact that segregation is prevalent today and that
something has got to be done about it.
After reading, The Shame of The Nation, I have a view about an issue that I didn’t know existed.
I know I am not the only one or why would have Kozol written the book. I was just assuming that our
school having a majority of Caucasian students was because of our rural area. That was an assumption I
know is wrong, now. I wish I could force lawmakers and government “big wigs” to read this book and
force them into a reality check. Would it make a difference? Who knows, but it would sure be worth
trying!